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Every article, I try to include a poll question for readers to vote on, then review the results from polls every weekend. Here are the results of this week's polls and my thoughts on how they turned out.
QUESTION: How confident do you feel in the Jones/Dell tandem to provide quality goaltending if they’re both back with San Jose next season?
(Votes: 212)
Not confident at all: 89%
Somewhat confident: 8%
Very confident: 3%
This was an overwhelming majority but it’s not overly surprising. While certainly not all of the blame can be placed on San Jose’s goaltending, it was simply not where it needed to be for the Sharks to be competitive. Both were better in the second half of the year but having your starter manage just an .896 save percentage two years in a row is unacceptable. If compliance buyouts become a reality, the Sharks should seriously consider taking Jones’ four remaining seasons at just under $6 million per year off the books. If not, they should be doing what they can to bring in a reliable veteran backup goalie who can play a lot of games to hopefully split time with Jones.
QUESTION: How many points do you expect from Kevin Labanc next season?
(Votes: 89)
50-60 points: 35%
40-50 points 35%
Under 40 points: 17%
Over 60 points: 13%
First time in any of my HockeyBuzz polls that there’s been a tie for first! Of the voters, 70 per cent have his range between 40-60 points, which is a pretty safe bet. This was a down year from Labanc for sure but I wouldn’t expect him to fail to hit the 40-point mark next season. I also certainly wouldn’t expect more than 60 points from him though, as even if he finds more consistency in his game, that’s maybe too high of a number for him. Considering San Jose’s lack of quality depth up front, Labanc will certainly get another great opportunity. It’s what he does with that opportunity this time around that’s the question.
If the Sharks could add one of these forwards for under $1M in free agency, who would you choose?
(Votes: 387)
Kovalchuk: 26%
Marleau: 18%
Maroon: 16%
Koivu: 15%
Boyle: 7%
Perry: 7%
Gagner: 7%
Pitlick: 4%
There was a pretty solid voter turnout here, which was great to see. It was also interesting as to how spread out the votes were, with Ilya Kovalchuk leading the way at just 26 per cent. I tend to agree that Kovalchuk could be the best option here, as he’s probably the only one who could slide up to play on the second line and be somewhat effective. He was on pace for 18 goals and 46 points this year (per 82 games) and he has the highest upside of any of the players listed. If you pair him with good players, he’ll likely be able to produce to an extent. Assuming the Sharks bring back Joe Thornton, San Jose should probably be looking to go for a left winger over a center, which makes sense as to why Patrick Marleau and Patrick Maroon are placed second and third in voting. I think Marleau is obviously the most likely option but Kovalchuk may be the best best option.
OTHER SHARKS ARTICLES FROM APRIL
Kevin Labanc is likely to bounce back next season
Addressing goaltending issues needs to be a priority for Sharks
Sharks should look to add veteran free agents for cheap depth
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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